Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola on youngsters moving abroad

Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola says national teams can benefit when players step out of their comfort zone and make a move abroad at an early age.

In the off-season, the Citizens lost one of their most highly-rated talents of the academy, Jadon Sancho, as the 17-year-old made a £8m (R131m) move to Borussia Dortmund.

Sancho has since made six appearances for the Bundesliga side's first-team and Guardiola admits these types of transfers can only help develop the England national team in the long-term.

"From my point of view, maybe I'm wrong, but one of the key ways that the Spanish league has made step forwards in the past decade or 20 years, to enjoy good success with their clubs and their national team, is that managers and especially players took the courage to say: 'I'm going to England to play there,'" he told a news conference ahead of Monday night's game at Stoke City, as quoted by ESPN.

"I think they became stronger players -- Xabi Alonso, Mikel Arteta, Fernando Torres, Cesc Fabregas -- a lot of young players decided to come here, and play in that league. When they came back into the national team, they were stronger. They were better.

"I think it's a good experience to move to another country and see different realities to your own."

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